Darcy POV

We had been running for days. Our legs were on fire, feet blistering and aching beyond belief, but Aeron wanted us to be safe, Aeron wanted us to keep going. Ari had told us to trust Aeron and to listen to him, so we have to.

Hyperion had been shot at by one of the skeleton guards. It sliced right through the side of his leg. I myself had been nicked by an arrow on my arm. Aeron had been caught up in close combat by another skeleton.

"Aero, stop." Hyperion was the first of us to finally give up. He leaned against a tree, panting. His legs looked like they were seconds away from giving up on him and congealed blood covered his leg. "We've been running for days, please can we rest?"

Aeron looked hesitant, but seeing someone he cared about so much in such pain clearly broke through to her. "There's a cave just up here. We can rest in there. Get a small fire, maybe." His eyes scanned our bodies, taking in the injuries we had all experienced. I guess he hadn't even noticed them as we ran away from Evangeline. "Can you even walk?"

I scoffed. "Can I even walk? Well, I guess I may not be able to, I've definitely not walked for the past day or two, have I? No I don't think I can walk to this fucking cave that's ten fucking METRES AWAY!" I snapped.

Aeron narrowed her eyes at me, shrugging and walking off to the cave. Vines were draped over the entrance and weaved in a sort of way that would stop anyone who didn't know it was there from seeing it.

There was a strangeness about the coverage, however. One that normal people wouldn't be able to see, but someone who's worked with intricate wiring for years would be able to sere.

The way the vines criss-crossed over each other was... too human. It was too clean and obvious. Don't get me wrong, it mimicked the way vines naturally weaved with one another in a beautiful way, yet still there was something innately human about it.

I wrapped my arm around Hyperion, both of us holding each other steady as we walked to the cave.

"Is Aeron OK?" I whispered.

Hyperion smiled. "Are any of us OK?"

Aeron pushed aside the vines, ducking into the cave and sitting against the right hand wall, holding up the vines and helping me and Hyperion in. Hyperion's leg was still bleeding. We had underestimated the power that arrows hold. 

"We should be safe in here for a while." He said, gesturing at the injuries we all had. Hyperion's leg was punctured by an arrow, my own arm had been a large cut. Aeron herself had a deep gash along his hair line. "Show me your leg." 

Hyperion made eye contact with me. I nodded, knowing that he was sceptical. Aeron had been so cool and calm about the death of someone we had all respected and saved. We didn't know if we should truly trust him. 

He pulled up his trouser leg, showing Aeron the deep wound. It wasn't that deep, a slice through the side of his leg, but it was bleeding. A thin trickle of blood fell down his leg. 

Aeron's hand gingerly touched the skin around the wound, feathering across the torn flesh. She waved her hand over the skin, wrapping it in an almost apothecary way with vines and leaves. "The leaves have healing properties, so it should help it mend." 

He looked up at me, green eyes flicking down to my arm. I showed it to him, shuddering as she did the same to my wound. "Why did you freeze?" 

She faltered, her fast flying fingers shaking. "I don't know what you mean." 

Hyperion scoffed, rolling his eyes. He never rolled his eyes, not unless he was genuinely tired and fed up with someone. "Don't lie to us. We may be stupid but we're not dumb." 

"If you're not dumb, you should be able to figure it out." Fae looked at me, pain in their eyes. "You were there, Darc." 

I was. I was there. I watched it happen. I watched Aeron's eyes grow cold and their heart grow dark as their sister was lost to they who she had danced with so much.

"You know-" Hyperion broke the awkward, depressing, silence- "you never told us why you pulled us away from the fight."

I glance between my boyfriend and my oldest friend. He was right. Aeron hadn't told us jack shit.

"Ari and I made a deal, remember? If the dinner went to shit take the three most powerful people into the woods and hide them because it's obvious that Evangeline would go for them. Hyperion, your army and generally your empire is the strongest. Darcy, you have the most blatant magical ability. And apparently I'm the leader, but that's something me and Ari can't decide on at the moment." There was a slight hitch in their voice at the end of that sentence.

I nodded. "Glad to know that I'm a threat." I grinned cheesily, earning a kiss on he cheek from Hyperion and a chuckle from Aeron.

A low, feminine voice came from the back of the cave, echoing towards us. it seemed accusatory, like we had just interrupted something when it was really the other way around.

"Who the hell are you?"

(beta reader abandoned me so this is UDIEDDDD) (jkjk indi dw i know)